Improvement in machines for dressing staves



LJ. RALYA'.

` Machin-es fn'r Dressing Staves.

No. 144,138. Y Patentedocr. 28,1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT (Drrio'no JOHNJ. RALYA, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES Fea DRESSING sTAvEs.

Speclcation4 forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,138, dated October 28, 1873; application iiled June 18, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, J oHN J. RALYA, of (lleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Dressing Staves; and I do hereby declare the following to b e afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specication, in which- Figure l isv a side elevation of a part of a stave-dressing machine, showing the hinged head which carries the knives; also, one of the guide-rollers and the end of the ram and of the frame in which it works. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the swinging head of Fig. 1, except that the top plate ofthe box containing the bearings of the feed pressure-rollers is removed the better to illustrate their operation. Fig. 3 is a top view of the lower box, and also represents a lower face view of the Lipper box; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the upper box and afront elevation of the knives and of the lower box.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

It has been common in the manufact-ure of stave-dressing' machines to combine a pair of knives in a swinging frame with a plunger properly arranged, so that, by means of the latter, the staves shall be forced through between the knives, and thus be dressed on both faces at the same time. Such machine requires great accuracy of feeding `on the part of the operator. For this purpose ordinary guide-rolls are well adapted; but in such rolls it is important, on account of the varying thickness of the rough staves, that they be, to a certain extent, free to approach to and recede from each other, and also tha-t as they approach to or-recedc from each other one shall move the same distance as the other, so that whatever may be their relative position the vertical plane passing midway between them sh all not vary in position,and shall always come opposite the opening between the knives. It is also important, and herein consists the object of my invention, that each end of each roll moves in and out independently of its opposite end, in order to adapt the rolls for taking an even and uniform bearing on the opposite faces of staves which are thicker at one edge than at the other. In order t0 accomplish. this I have mounted such a pair of guidelrolls with their bearings in movable blocks. By means of a rack on each block engaging a pinion, I make provis ion for the automatic shifting of each end of each guide-roll exactly the same distance as the corresponding end of the other is shifted.

To enable others skilled inthe art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and manner of operation.

A represents any suitable foundation, on which is mounted the framework A1, of any desired construction, suitable for the operation thereon, in the ordinary way, ofthe ram or plunger A2. To a fixed boxshaped post, B, by means of bearings b, I pivot the swinging' head B. This swinging head hasthe usual opening for the stave to pass through in line with the plunger A2, and carries the usual knives j, and is capable of a slight rotary motion by means of the lever f', whereby the openings between the knives shall be brought into line with the forward end of the plunger A2. Between the knives f and the frame-work Al I arrange a pair of guide-rolls, D, (repre-` sented by dottcd lines in Fig. 2,) in such position that the opening between the rolls shall come in line with the plunger A2, and, `of course, with the openingV between the knivesf. Above and below the rolls D I have shown the boxes I)1 and D2. The lower face of the upper box D1 and the upper face of the lower box D2 are shown in Fig. 3, and the devices inside each box are shown in Fig. 2. Each box contains a block, a, and each block has a hole, a', for the bearings of the guide-rolls I), so that as the blocks are moved to or from each other in both the upper and lower boxes the guiderolls B will be moved to or from each other a corresponding distance. The lower plate of the upper box and upper plate ofthe lower box are slotted, as at s, to permit of such motion. From each block a a toothed rack, c, extends from the inside diagonally opposite the corners of each forward toward the opposite block, so that such toothed racks shall pass each other, one along the front of the box, and the other along the rear. Between these racks c a loose pinion, d, is arranged with its bearings in holes d in the upper and lower plates of the box, and the teeth of this pinion mesh into the teeth of the racks e. Outside of cach block and bearing against it is a spiral or other suitable form of spring, g, arranged in such position as, when the rolls D are not otherwise held apart, will force them to or toward each other. For these springs weights may obviously be substituted. The devices in cach box are independent in their operation of the corresponding devices'in the other box, so that, when a stave thicker on one edge than on the other is fed in, the rolls D, being forced further apart at their upper or lower ends by the thicker edge of the stave, will exercise a uniform pressure across the entire faces of the stave, and consequently feed it forward directly in line to the knives.

In operation, when the ram A2 is run back, the operator inserts the stave between the forward end of the ram and the guide-rolls D, and in such position that, as the ram A2 advances, it will drive the opposite end of the stave between the rolls D. If, as will generally be the case, the stave is thicker than the distance thel rolls are apart, the stave will cause the rolls to move away from each other; and, in thus moving, each one will move the same distance as the other, since, by means of the blocks a and racks e operating through the pinion d, the movement of either roll, will cause the same length of movement in the other roll. If the stave varies in thickness the shifting of either roll to adapt itself `to that variation will cause a like sluiting to or from in the opposite roll, and, after the stave has passed through the springs g, or equivalent weights operating against the blocks a, will cause the rolls D to approach each other, each moving at the same speed as the other, such uniformity of motion being secured by means of the pinion d.

I am aware that a rack and pinion have been combined with the frames of the feed-rolls of ya circular saw-mill, in such way as to shift such feed-rolls to and from each other, but with their working faces always parallel or maintaining a certain xed angle with each other.v Such device I hereby disclaim.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i The blocks a and racks c on each end of each roll, in combination with the pinions (l, springs g, and rolls D, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I the said JOHN J. RALYA have hereunto set my hand.

' J OHN J. RALYA,

Witnesses Guo. A. G-noo'r, T. H. GRAHAM. 

